Stats - The Best & Worst

*please note, these statistics are based purely on my experiences of the places I’ve visited and the people I’ve met within these countries, not on any scientific formula.  You are welcome to disagree with me, however it will not change my opinions :)

Most friendly people:

1. Canadians
2. Colombians

3. Brazilians

4. Irish
5. Cubans

Least friendly people:

1. Mexicans

2. English
3. Argentinians

4. Bolivians

Most beautiful countries overall so far in my journey:

1. Guatemala

2. Ireland
3. Canada

4. Brazil

Most favourite countries:

1. Canada
2. Cuba
3. Guatemala
4. Colombia
5. Peru 

Least favourite countries:

1. Mexico
2. Panama

3. Costa Rica

4. Argentina

5. England

Best local food:

1. Pupusas and dobladas (corn tortillas with meat in them and salsa on top) – Guatemala (actually most street food in Guate is pretty damn awesome.  Think I’m definitely putting back on the 7kg I lost :( lol!)

2. Cassava and rice dishes in the Pantanal – Brazil

3. Ceviche at the local food joint in Lima – Peru

4. Beans and rice – Most of Central America

5. Rice pudding – Brazil and Peru
6. Peanut butter on celery sticks - Canada

Worst local food:

1. Chunyos (freeze-dried potatoes that are then reboiled) – Bolivia

2. Can’t remember the name but there’s this sweet sickly fruit preserve stuff that’s kind of like marmalade only much much stickier and sweeter and they eat it with cheese or on icecream or rice pudding or whatever for dessert – Parts of Brazil and Peru

3. Steamed Yucca (in spanish – yucca, in portuguese – cassava) – Parts of South and Central America

4. Giant corn pieces served in pretty much every meal you order – Bolivia

5. Atol (I think that’s what it was called) It’s a hot sweet drink made with banana, water and sugar or corn, water and sugar so the banana one’s as sickly as anything and the corn one tastes like you’re drinking corn soup that someone accidentally put sugar in instead of salt – Guatemala
6. Canadian 'chocolate'

Most amazing sights:

1. Salar de Uyuni (salt flats) by far the most amazing.  This place is incredible, unlike anything else on earth – Bolivia

2. The Pantanal, Matto Grosso del Norte – Brazil

3. Foz do Iguaçu – Brazil

4. El Cañon, Tupiza (place of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) – Bolivia

5. Volcan Pacaya, Semuc Champey, Kan’ba Caves, general countryside – Guatemala
6. Mayan ruins and underground Cenote (freshwater limestone pools) at Tulum, Mexico
7. Cuba

Most disappointing sights:

(ie. those that have been overmarketed and talked up to be more than they are)

1. El Fuerte, Samaipata – Bolivia

2. El Tigre, Buenos Aires – Argentina

3. Nazca Lines, Nazca – Peru

4. Volcan Irazu – Costa Rica
5. Chichen Itza (really didn't live up to expectations.  I thought there were other ruins that were more spectacular)

Best nights out:

1. Cuba - nearly every night.  Dancing, dancing and more dancing :D
2. Lima, Peru (couple of nights in fact.  One night I went out by myself and found some locals and danced til dawn (literally).  And the other was a concert that a mate of one of the hostel staff was playing in.  Brill night, great music, great dancing, great company)

3. Cali, Colombia (incredible amazing fantastic salsa!  And the people in Cali are just as fantastic :D)

Worst night out:

1. Santa Cruz, Bolivia (a few of us went out in search of nightlife, in particular salsa, and the whole place was a ghost town – I was waiting for a tumbleweed to come rolling through the streets!)

Best hostels I’ve stayed in:

1. Traveller’s Inn, Quito (more like a hotel than a hostel it was that good and the breakfast that was included was incredible) – Ecuador

2. Nomadas Backpackers, San Jose (run by a Colombian couple from their home and is more like a bed and breakfast than a backpackers.  Wonderful friendly hosts, clean place and able to use kitchen, laundry etc) – Costa Rica

3. Zephyr Hostel, Lanquin (crazy cool hostel in the middle of the jungle area that is Lanquin.  The showers are openair and you get a great view of the mountains whilst freshening up, the whole setup is nice and chill, plus a great owner, 3 dogs, a cat I’d like to strangle (whole other story) and the cutest kitten you’ve ever seen – what could be better) – Guatemala

4. Wild Rover Backpackers, La Paz (cleanest party hostel I’ve ever been to.  The staff make sure the bathroom areas are clean every 2 hours! Plus great atmosphere whether you’re a partier or not) – Bolivia

5. Hostal Antigua, Antigua (clean, lovely, friendly) – Guatemala

6. Hospedaje San Jorge, Granada (great facilities, they run their own water system with the rainwater too so when there’s no water running in town (which happens frequently) you know at San Jorge’s you’ll still be able to cook, wash etc. – Nicaragua

Worst hostels I’ve stayed in:

1. La Posada Del Sol, Samaipata (not because of the accommodation itself but because when I reviewed my stay on the hostel website, which I believed was anonymous, I received back an abusive email from the owner.  Not very professional at all) – Bolivia

2. A really grotty residenciales in Uyuni when the train arrived in the middle of the night and everything in the town was either closed or booked out for the night – Bolivia

3. La Dolce Vita, Antigua (to give you an idea, you could tell that the bedsheets hadn’t even been changed so had to sleep on top of the bed for the night) – Guatemala

4. Piccadilly Backpackers, Central London – England

5. The hostel in Cuiaba (can’t remember the name but it’s the only one in the city, I was the only one staying in it and the shower didn’t even work in my room so I had to sneak into a different room in the morning just to use the shower, and it was really expensive) – Brazil